U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins stated on Wednesday that despite an ongoing blockade on Iranian maritime trade and attacks by the Iranian military on merchant vessels, U.S. forces have ensured the Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial shipping, including facilitating the passage of hundreds of millions of barrels of oil through the strategic waterway. Since early May, U.S. forces have assisted in the transit of over 900 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz to global energy markets and have intercepted more than 100 vessels attempting to violate the blockade. Hawkins refuted claims of Iranian control over the waterway, adding that U.S. forces completed mine clearance operations in the strait's international shipping lanes weeks ago.